Who was George Carman QC, when did he represent Jeremy Thorpe in his trial and what other cases did he work on?

George Carman QC was perhaps the best known, and respected, barrister in his day in the 1980s and 90s but he first came to the public's attention successfully defending the then Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe in 1979

By Jon Rogers

3rd June 2018, 3:16 pm

Updated: 3rd June 2018, 3:21 pm

GEORGE Carman was born in 1929 and went on to be perhaps the most celebrated barrister at his height in the 1980s and 1990s, not only successfully defending Jeremy Thorpe but went on to represent a whole host of famous people.

Among the famous names like Ken Dodd, Carman also took on high profile cases involving ordinary people, representing Carole Richardson, one of the Guildford Four.

After Jeremy Thorpe's trial

Jeremy Thorpe's trial was a cause célèbre and a high profile case which made Carman's name and he went on to feature in many high profile cases, often involving celebrities like Sir Elton John, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman and Mohamed Al-Fayed.

Despite the famous names he cited his 1981 case defending Dr Leonard Arthur, a consultant paediatrician, as his finest moment. Arthur had been accused of murdering a Down Syndrome baby.

In a 1999 interview with The Observer he said: "He was a very dedicated doctor and clearly a kind and moral man who had done much good for thousands of mothers in this country - hundreds of whom wrote to him and sent flowers during the trial. His acquittal by the jury, very quickly, is the moment in my career which has given me the greatest pleasure."